Triple-homicide suspect once called crime scene home

A man who allegedly shot five people inside an eastern New Orleans home before being killed by police previously lived at the house and likely used a gun kept there to commit the shootings, officials said Friday. Three people died in the bloodbath on Thursday morning, one of several deadly shootings in recent days.

Donald Johnson, whom police identified as one of two alleged gunmen, arrived at the house at the corner of Devine Avenue and Adele Street about 9 a.m. with Andrea Price and her cousin, Jubbard Price, according to police. The group went to the house to smoke marijuana with five people who lived there.

Neighbors said a large group, including young children and older teenagers, lived at the brick ranch-style home. Its exterior was decorated for Carnival, and a Saints banner was wrapped around a tree outside.

Johnson, 21, was among the occupants -- at least for a short time -- and knew where his former housemates kept a stash of guns, police said.

After the group went to the garage to smoke, Jubbard Price and Johnson opened fire, likely using guns found in the house, police said. It's not clear what provoked them. The Prices and Johnson then fled in a red Pontiac Grand Prix.

Reyland Berry, 60, who also lived in the home, chased after the suspects and shot at them but missed, police said. Johnson returned fire, striking Berry in the head. Berry died a short time later at Interim LSU Public Hospital. The two other victims who died at the scene were identified as Keishaune Keppard, 20, and Troy Leslie, 37.

Police responding to the shooting broadcast a description of the getaway car, which officers spotted on Louisa Street. The officers began to trail the car until backup arrived, at which point a chase ensued.

Donald Johnson

The pursuit ended about 9:30 a.m. when Johnson crashed the car into a pole at Chef Menteur Highway and Press Drive in Gentilly.

The trio bailed out of the car, and Johnson began firing at officers with a .380-caliber semi-automatic handgun, police said. Officers returned fire, hitting all three and killing Johnson. One officer suffered a graze wound to the leg.

Paramedics took the Prices, both 21, to Interim LSU Public Hospital for treatment, although Jubbard Price was subsequently released and booked with four counts of first-degree murder: three for the killings on Devine Street, and the fourth for Johnson's death. Andrea Price, who police described as an "accomplice," will also be booked with first-degree murder when she is released from the hospital.

An autopsy to determine the number of times Johnson was shot was not completed Friday afternoon, said John Gagliano, the coroner's chief investigator.

While Johnson had a minimal public criminal record in Orleans Parish, police said he was currently wanted for a "murder parole violation" from Galveston County, Texas. That crime happened in 2006, when Johnson was 15 years old, according to the NOPD.

Johnson's body and face were inked with tattoos, from the word "Misunderstood" between his right ear and eye to "True Killer Murder" on his right hand and fingers. His left hand and fingers bore the imprint, "Murder Kill," while "Blood Money" adorned his chest, according to the Orleans Parish coroner's office.

During an interview with detectives after his release from the hospital, Jubbard Price allegedly confessed to his part in the shootings. Price is on probation until 2014 for possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and illegal use of a weapon, police said.

In a statement, police Superintendent Ronal Serpas emphasized that the shooting on Devine Avenue was among people who knew each other and used violence to settle a disagreement. It's still not clear what the disagreement revolved around.

"This was not a random act that happened between strangers," he said.

Exactly who lived at the home was not clear. Reached by phone, Berry's son said his father had lived at the house for almost a year and a half and was "a good man."

Police released an extensive rap sheet for Berry, including several felony arrests. Court decisions show that Berry served prison time for a 1978 armed robbery, but police indicated he was released on parole in 1991. Court records do not show any felony arrests in Orleans Parish after his release.

Victims Leslie and Keppard appear to have been father and daughter. A 1994 paternity lawsuit filed by the state in Civil District Court listed Leslie as the defendant and Keppard as a plaintiff. A woman contacted by The Times-Picayune identified herself as Leslie's mother, but did not want to comment. She also said Keppard was her granddaughter.

As of Friday evening, police had not yet released the names of the six officers who shot Johnson after he fired his weapon.

At a news conference with Mayor Mitch Landrieu, Serpas praised the officers, saying "it appears from the record now that they did what they were supposed to do when they did return fire."

In a bizarre twist to the case, NOPD headquarters had to be evacuated Thursday night for a little more than an hour after investigators processing the Pontiac as evidence discovered two grenades in the trunk.

Police said the bomb squad determined the grenades had fuses but were missing the main charge needed for detonation. Serpas called them "collector items." Both grenades were drilled and hollowed out, rendering them inactive, said Remi Braden, a police spokeswoman.